


In a Single Bound

by cereal



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-26
Updated: 2013-10-26
Packaged: 2017-12-30 13:30:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1019198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cereal/pseuds/cereal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Oh, you know,” she says. “Reluctant saviors. Never really embrace the whole ‘superhero’ thing. Bet you 10 quid you don’t even have an alter ego.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	In a Single Bound

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [Andrea's](http://bookishandi.tumblr.com) birthday! You can find it on Tumblr [here](http://allrightfine.tumblr.com/post/28591612873/it-is-andreas-birthday-happy-birthday-andrea)!

It’s a mistake to even have the party, which makes his decision to attend an even bigger mistake.

He’s the Doctor, the very last Time Lord in existence, he’s not the sort of bloke that joins _clubs_.

Certainly not superhero clubs.

But here is, standing next to the punch bowl, trying not to get involved in any of the strength competitions that keep sprouting up. So he can’t arm wrestle, there’s a slight defect in his dorsal tubercle, hasn’t stopped him from saving hundreds — no, probably _thousands_  of planets.

This lot is mostly confined to Earth, even. Hardly impressive. Not that he doesn’t have a certain fondness for it himself, but he’s not  _limited_  to it, is the point.

Next to him, a blonde girl in jeans and a t-shirt is ladling punch into a cup and staring at him. He’s about to warn her that earlier Aquaman had gotten neck-deep in the bowl, just to prove he could breathe, when the girl speaks.

"That your costume?"

He looks down, double-checking what he has on. He’s not familiar with everybody here and it wouldn’t be unheard of for one of them to be able to shift his suit into something different. A tutu maybe, that’s happened before. But, nope, it’s all there, brown and rumpled and pinstriped.

"Yeah," he says. "Although I don’t really call it a  _costume_.”

The girl nods knowingly, touching her tongue to the corner of her mouth with a smirk, “Ah, one of those then.”

He squares his shoulders and straightens his tie, “One of those what?”

She moves to take a sip of her punch and then squints at it, setting it aside instead and shrugging.

"Oh, you know," she says. "Reluctant saviors. Never really embrace the whole ‘superhero’ thing. Bet you 10 quid you don’t even have an alter ego."

Who is this girl? With her — her — her nice hair, and her pretty smile, coming in here to give him a hard time? No, sir. No, sir-ee. No, sir-ee, Bob.

"And you’ve got one, have you? An alter ego?"

She grins at him again.

"Of course I do," she says. "I’m Rose Tyler."

He wants to ask her which that is, her hero identity or her human one, but it’s the one she gave him, and he knows all about the importance of names.

"Nice to meet you, Rose Tyler," he says, sticking out his hand for her to shake. "I’m the Doctor."

"That supposed to sound impressive?"

Her handshake is firm, her fingers warm and dry around his, and he forces himself to ignore it.

Instead he says, “Sort of.”

She releases his hand and then she’s back to staring at him.

"Wait, the suit, the  _Doctor_  — I know you! You spearheaded the ‘companion’ movement!”

The what? He’s spearheaded a great number of movements, has plenty of moves, some he wouldn’t mind showing Rose Tyler if he’s honest with himself, and he doesn’t remember a _companion_  movement.

Of course, he’s not going to admit that, not when she looks so delighted with him.

"Oh, oh, right, the companion movement. Remind me again what you lot think that is? I mean,  _I_  know what it is, but it gets a little hazy, keeping track of what all of space thinks of you. Did you know that? That I can travel in space? Time, too, come to think of it.”

Rose laughs, “Now I  _definitely_  know you. That whole thing about the turn of the Earth under your feet, that’s you, too, isn’t it? Saw that speech on YouTube! You should talk to Clark over there about that, bet he could speed the Earth up for you, make it more interesting.”

He stands up straighter at that, bloody Superman. He bets  _Clark_  didn’t have a companion movement, probably no moves at all, especially if there’s kryptonite about.

"Right, right, I’ll talk to him," he says. "What’s this companion movement now?"

Rose shakes her head at him, but it’s friendly and whatever it is he’s doing that’s making her look at him like that, he wants to keep doing it.

“ _Companion_ ,” she says. “Instead of saying ‘sidekick,’ that was all the rage here for a while, heroes running around with ‘plus-ones’ and ‘companions’ and ‘friends,’ completely brilliant.”

He’s floored, all the things he’s done, and this beautiful, laughing girl in front of him wants to talk about synonyms.

"So, which are you, Rose Tyler? A companion? Or a hero?" He’s walked himself right into it, can feel it a second before she opens her mouth.

"In my experience, the companions are  _often_  heroes,” she says.

"Mine always are," he says, meeting her eyes.

"Mine, too."

And it’s completely mad, what he does next, but it’s out of his mouth before he can stop himself.

"Are you recruiting then?"

She squints at him, “Why? You volunteering?”

He shrugs, “Might be. You offer any sort of benefits? Secret lair?  _Costume_? Wouldn’t have to wear jeans, would I? Because I’ve done that, they don’t fit anymore.”

Her eyes spend a long time tracking to his feet and back up to his hair and he fights not to fidget.

"You can keep the suit, I guess," she says.

"Of course I can," he says, sniffing. "It’s my  _costume_ , right?”

She reaches out and plucks something from his lapel, a piece of fuzz he’s pretty sure wasn’t even there.

"Thought you weren’t calling it that?"

He smiles, warmth spreading through chest, joy and laughter and  _promise_.

"Oh, Rose Tyler, I have a feeling you’re going to have me doing a lot of things I normally wouldn’t do."

She sticks out her hand again, wiggling her fingers for more than a shake this time.

"Well,  _Doctor_ , would you normally leave a party before the nibbles have been served?”

He takes her hand, “Never.”

Two hours later, they’ve saved a city and stopped for chips.

He loves being a companion.


End file.
